Formula 1 teams concerned about 'impossible' travel logistics of 2014

Formula 1 teams face an almost impossible logistical challenge if a race in New Jersey remains on the 2014 calendar on the weekend immediately after Monaco, according to team managers.

The current calendar, which has an asterisk against three races including the race on the U.S. East Coast, includes a novel ‘triple header’ of Monaco, New Jersey and Canada on successive weekends from May 25 to June 8.

Some team principals expect the final calendar to have fewer races, with New Jersey’s street race currently the most in doubt along with South Korea.

“It’s something almost impossible, to be honest, … ” Ferrari’s Massimo Rivola told a news conference at the Korean Grand Prix when asked about the logistics.

“But…we will see the real calendar and then we [will] figure it out.”

F1 freight packed into DHL jet

The freight for a long-haul race like Canada has traditionally been sent on the Saturday of the previous week to allow plenty of time to clear customs and for teams to set up garages and prepare cars for Friday practice.

Sauber’s Beat Zehnder said that any later shipment would have a knock-on effect.

“I think we would have to start packing up on Saturday in Monaco to make it to Jersey,” he said. “If you’re only able to send your freight on a Monday or a Tuesday, it compromises your weekend quite a bit.”

Force India’s Andy Stevenson was more optimistic, even if he too, recognised that the schedule was extremely challenging.

“We haven’t focussed on it too much just yet. It was only announced last week to the teams, or to the public in general, and we’ll wait until the calendar has been ratified before we put any resources into understanding exactly how we will deal with it,” he said.

“As always in Formula 1, if a challenge is put before us, we will make it work. So, we’ll wait until it has been ratified.” (GMM)